Cutter member for cleaning drain pipes



Feb. 9, 1937. s. o. BLANC 2,069,871

CUTTERMEMBER FOR CLEANING DRAIN PIPES F 06. Oct. 21, 1935 1744/6 ni'o r4 Patented Feb. 9, 1937 CUTTER MEMBER FOR CLEANING DRAIN PIPES Samuel 0.Blane, Des Moines, Iowa Application October 21, 1935, Serial No. 45,993

6 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in mechanism for cleaning drainpipes and the like, and more particularly to improvements in therotatable cutter member designed to enter the drain. pipe and be drivenby a flexible shaft. Cutter devices of this kind are actuated by meansof a flexible shaft which, together with the cutter member, is insertedinto the drain pipe through the ordinary inlet openings, such asclean-out openings or floor traps, which are usually smaller than thedrain pipe to be cleaned. By thus inserting the flexible shaft andcutter element it is unnecessary to provide an additional opening whichcould only be accomplished by digging up part of the drainpipe.

Due to the fact that the opening through which the cutter and flexibleshaft are inserted into the drain pipe is smaller than the drain pipe,difficulty has heretofore been experienced in providing a suitablecutter capable of entering the small opening and at the same time beingcapable of properly functioning inside of the enlarged drain pipe afterit has been inserted therein. It is, therefore, the object-of myinvention to provide a cutter head having flexible cutter blades whichmay be sprung together'in such a manner as to enter a comparativelysmall opening, and after being inserted in said opening and into theenlarged drain pipe, capable of 'beingsprung outwardly by the resiliencyof the material to fit the inner surface of the drain, or to be furthermoved outwardly by centrifugal force as the cutter is rotated.

A further objectof my invention is to provide in a cutter device of theclass above described, improved means whereby the cutter blades may beadjusted at various angles relative to their rotative line of movement,and also capable of being quickly and easily detached from the cutterhead.

My invention consists in the construction, arrangement and combinationof the various parts of the device, whereby the objects contemplated areattained, as hereinafter more fully set forth, pointed out in my claims,and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved cutter head showing theblades sprung outwardly in dotted lines.

, Figure 2 is a top view of the same, a portion of the cutter headbeing-broken away.

Figure 3 is an end elevation of the cutter head and blades.

Figure 4 is an end elevation of the cutter head with the blades removed.

I Figure 5 is a perspective view of the cutter head wedge.

Figure 6 illustrates one of the blades in blank form.

Figure 7 is a longitudinal sectional view of a section of drain pipeshowing the manner in which the' flexible shaft for operating the cutterhead and the cutter head are mounted therein.

My improved device comprises a cutter head 10 designed to be secured toone end of a flexible shaft II by means of a screw threaded union l2,the cutter head In being preferably of a cylindrical formation having atapered portion l3 at one end in which the union I2 is mounted. Theopposite end of the cutter head I!) is provided with a V-shaped notch l4and a screw threaded opening IS. A wedge I6 is provided which is mountedin position within the notch M by means of a bolt ll entering theopening l5.

Supported in the notch l4 between the inclined faces of the wedge l6 andthe inclined faces of the notch I4 I have provided a pair of cutterblades l8, each of the blades I being cut out in the form as illustratedin Figure 6, said blades being formed of comparatively flexible materialsuch as spring steel, having the outer end of the cutting edge I9 curvedoutwardly and rearwardly of their line of advance, to form a curvedcutting edge 20, the inner end of each of the blades l8 being preferablyprovided with a notch 2| through which the bolt I1 extends when the saidblades are mounted in the head ill in the manner illustrated in Figure2. Each of the blades I8 is first formed from a fiat piece of steel,after which the said blades are moved between suitable forming rollers,illustrated in dotted lines in Figure 6, said rollers being inclinedrelative to the longitudinal axis of the blades, as indicated, so as toproduce a somewhat helical blade. The blades are then placed in positionin the notch l4 and set at an angle relative to the longitudinal axis ofthe head III, in the manner illustrated in Figure 2, so that the cuttingedges of the blades will produce a sort of draw-cub efiect as the bladesare rotated, the blades being curved in the manner as illustrated inFigure 1, with their convex surfaces outermost. The bolt I1 is thentightened causing the blades to be firmly fixed in the head. The cutterthen may be inserted through a clean-out opening of the drain pipe 22,which is of comparatively small diameter, the blades being sprungtogether as indicated at 23 in dotted lines. The cutter is then rotatedand moved inwardly into the main drain pipe 24, which is of largerdiameter. The blades. will then spring outwardly until they engage theinner surface of said drain pipe, if the drain pipe is of a diametersubstantially the same as the normalv distance between the two blades attheir widest points. a

If the cutter is inserted in a larger drain pipe, then the blades willswing outwardly by centrifugalforce, as illustrated in dotted lines inFigure 1, until they engage the inner surfaces of 'the drain pipe. Thecentrifugal action of the blades, in any event, tend to hold the bladeagainst the inner surfaces of the drain pipe so that the cutting edge ofthe blade engages the inner surfaces of the pipe so as to produce abetter cutting effect when roots and similar substances are extendinginwardly within the drain pipe. By causing the blades to engage theinner surfaces of the drain .pipe a better cleaning operation also takesplace.

The free ends'of the blade l8 are curved inwardly toward each other soas to. prevent the ends of the blades from engaging offset portions ofthe drain pipe, the curved ends of the blades serving as runners tocause the blades to ride over the inwardly projecting portion of thedrain pipe rather than to butt against it. By this arrangement thecutter blades may be fed into drain pipes having offset portions, suchas the abutting end of the pipe. The curved ends of the cutters alsoassist in fitting the cutter around corners and curved portionsof thedrain pipe.

It wlll'readily be seen that by clamping the blades detachably in thehead in different sized and shaped blades may be used in said head atthe will of the operator. The clamping device also provides means foradjusting the angle of the blades, when so desired. Thus it will be seenI have provided an improved cutter device particularly adapted to beused on one end of a flexible shaft and to be fed into drain pipeswherein the cutter may be easily moved into the pipe, or withdrawn,without becoming locked in the tile against either inward or outwardmovement, and at the same time capable of being adjusted to drains ofvarious diameters.

Furthermore, it will readilybe seen that the cutter blades are of verysimple formation, and may be easily and cheaply constructed, the bladesbeing easily removed for sharpening or repair or the substitution of oneset of blades for' another.

I claim as my invention:

1. A cutter for drain cleaners comprising a cutter head having. one endadapted to be attached to a flexible shaft, the opposite end of saidhead being provided with a V-shaped notch for receiving cutter blades, awedge for said notch, a pair of cutter blades adapted tohave one set ofcorresponding ends clamped between the 1 clined faces of said wedge andthe inclined faces of said V-shaped notch, and a bolt for forcing saidwedge into clamping position between said blades.

2. A cutter. for drain cleaners comprising a cutter head having one endadapted to be attached to a flexible shaft, the opposite end of saidhead being provided with a notch having inwardly inclined side walls, awedge for said notch, a pair of cutter blades adapted to have one set ofcorresponding ends clamped between the inclined faces of said notch andsaid wedge, and means for forcing said wedge into clamping positionbetween said blades.

3. The combination of a rotatable cutter head, a pair of oppositelycurved cutter blades formed of thin and flexible material having one setof corresponding ends fixed to said head in a diverging manner with theopposite ends spaced apart, the outer'ends of said blades being inclinedrearwardly relative to their direction of rotation, the outer ends ofthe cutting edges of said blades being further inclined rearwardlyrelative to their direction of rotation.

4. A cutter for drain cleaners comprising a cutter head having one endadapted to be attached to a flexible shaft, the oppositeend of said headbeing provided with a recess having inwardly inclined side walls, awedge for said recess, a plurality of cutter blades adapted to have oneset of corresponding ends clampedbetween the inclined faces of saidrecess and said wedge, and means for forcing and retaining the wedgeinto clamping position between said blades.

5. A cutter for drain cleaners comprising a cutter head having one endadapted to be attached to a flexible shaft, the opposite end of saidhead being provided with a recess having inwardly inclinedside walls, awedge for said recess, one or more cutter blades adapted to have one .orone set of corresponding ends clam between the inclined faces of saidrecess .and aid wedge. and means for forcing said wedge and retainingthe same in clamping position between said blades.

6. A cutter for drain cleaners comprising a head having one end adaptedto be attached to a flexible shaft, a plurality of cutter blades formedof thinand flexible material having one set of corresponding ends fixedto said head in a diverging manner, said blades being inclined from saidhead and rearwardly relative to their direction of rotation, havingtheir free ends inclined inwardly whereby a draw cutting effect will beproduced by the cutting edges of said blades as they engage inwardlyextending roots within the drain in which the cutter is operated, theinclined ends of said blades being adapted to guide the cutter throughdrains having offset portions to prevent the cutting edges of saidblades engaging the said offset portions, said blades being flexible topermit the cutter to be operated in drains of various diameters.

SAMUEL 0. BLANC.

' 50 towards the ,axis of rotation of said cutters,

